accuracy of COVID-19 mortality

First, let me get this off my chest. What is the value of these articles, especially those purporting to show no more significant deaths in 2020 than 2019? Will that mean that COVID-19 is a hoax, perpetrated for some ulterior motive?

Whether this reflects an over or undercount is unclear, you are welcome to your opinion. But it makes all the subsequent analysis just a little more imprecise and should make us not quite so definitive in our conclusions.